Texas' liquor and beer scene has exploded in recent years with a number of companies launching a variety of spirits, cocktails and brews in the Lone Star State. Here is a sampling of some of the notable distillers and brewers operating out of Texas.

The Spoetzl Brewery in Shiner is the oldest independent brewery in Texas (1909) and is best known for Shiner Beers, particularly Shiner Bock. Tours of the brewery are offered Monday through Friday, starting at 10 a.m.

Photo By Nick de la Torre/Houston Chronicle

Just west of Austin, the Dripping Springs Distillery creates their signature vodka by mixing it with pure artesian spring water from the Texas Hill Country and filtering it through Swedish-activated charcoal. The distillery is not yet open for tours.

Photo By Brett Coomer / Houston Chronicle

Probably Houston's most iconic craft brewery, the St. Arnold Brewing Company was founded in 1994 and was originally located on the far northwest side. In addition to their seasonal and holiday brews, the brewery is especially known for their Divine Reserve line, a finite number of specially-crafted beers that die-hard enthusiasts keep a close eye on. In addition to the tours, lunch is also available on weekdays (beer included).

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Austin's Deep Eddy Vodka Distillery is just as quirky as its home town. Its Sweet Tea Vodka was the first flavored vodka produced in Texas and was a combined effort between the founders of Sweet Leaf Tea and Savvy Vodka, who also happened to be the founders of the distillery.

Photo By JERRY LARA/San Antonio Express-News

Tito's Vodka Distillery is the first and oldest legal distillery in Texas. Former geologist Tito Beveridge got in the business after word got around about his vodka Christmas presents. The Austin distillery no longer offers tours.

Real Ale Brewing Company was founded in Blanco in 1996 and only sells their brews inside Texas. Their Brewer's Cut line are "R&D" brews that are sent out to the public for testing. The ones that do well go on to become part of the regular year-round lineup. Tours are available on Fridays, starting at 3 p.m.

Photo By Ashley Landis/Photographer, Landis Images

Garrison Brothers Texas Bourbon Whiskey in Hye is the first and oldest legal whiskey distillery in Texas. The craft distillery can only produce so much at a time and is only available in limited quantities at select stores around Texas. Tours are available and are priced at $10 to $20 per person.

Photo By Republic Tequila

Though headquartered in Austin, Republic Tequila is distilled in Mexico. Their premium certified organic tequila is made with 100 percent blue agave and shipped in distinctive Texas-shaped bottles. Recently, Republic has also branched out into making cocktail mixes.

Photo By Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle

Sold at a number of Houston bars, Buffalo Bayou Brewing Co. is another solid craft brewer in the Bayou City. Their mission is to create beer that is "fiercely and unapologetically Houston." Brewery tours are available on Saturdays from noon to 3 p.m.

Treaty Oak Distilling Co. is responsible for a variety of spirits, including gin, rum, vodka and Texas tea. The company was named after the Treaty Oak where Stephen F. Austin signed a border treaty with the Native Americans. The tree was poisoned in 1989 but managed to survive and grow again (but only to half of its original size).

Photo By Guiseppe Barranco/Guiseppe Barranco/The Enterprise

Western Son Handcrafted Texas Vodka is a newcomer to the distillery scene and was built in 2011. Their signature vodka is gluten-free and column-distilled 10 times. Their Facebook page is updated with a variety of recipe ideas and mixes.

Photo By JOHN DAVENPORT/San Antonio Express-News

According to their website, Spike Vodka is the first and only vodka in the world to be made from cactus and is made straight from their San Antonio distillery. Tastings and other events are promoted through their Facebook fan page.

Photo By Randy Edwards

The Original Texas Legends Distillery in Orange is adamant about their vodka. Handmade using the same styles used in the 1800s means only a select number of bottles can be sold at a time. They also produce bourbon and blended whiskey under the Troubadour brand.

Photo By J. Patric Schneider/For the Chronicle

Houston's Karbach Brewing Company is fairly new but it has already established an impressive selection of craft beers, including the popular Weiss-Versa and Sympathy for the Lager. The brewery is available for tours on Mondays, Fridays and Saturdays, and can be booked for private events.

Photo By Billy Smith II/Houston Chronicle

No Label Brewery is another newcomer to the Houston brew scene. Situated in Katy, Texas, the brewery has a solid lineup of beers, including the quirky Don Jalapeno. The brewery also hosts Friday and Saturday hangouts.

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The Bone Spirits Distillery emerged in 2010 in Smithville, a city not too far from the Colorado River. Much of their ingredients are produced from local farms and anything left over is given back. Bone Spirits' full portfolio includes Fitch's Goat Moonshine, Fitch's Goat Corn Whiskey, Moody June Gin and Smiths Vodka and are available in Texas and a few other states.

Photo By Yellow Rose Distilling

Yellow Rose Distilling is Houston's first whiskey distillery and has already won a few awards out of state. Yellow Rose hasn't fully situated yet, so tours aren't immediately available.

Photo By Holly Dutton

Kelly Railean, center, founder of Railean Rum, hands out samples in this file photo. Railean set up her distillery in the Houston-Galveston area in 2006 with the vision of re-establishing the American rum industry. Though known for rum making, Railean has branched out to Agave spirits as well. Tours are available but by appointment only.

Photo By Alison Cook

Austin's Argus Cidery is Texas' first American hard cider and is crafted from apples grown by Texans. Their ciders are dry and crisp and are available in sparkling and still varieties. A select number of restaurants and stores carry the ciders in Texas and around the nation. Tastings are offered to the public on Saturday with a weekend picnic available by reservation only.

A local distillery is asking friends and fans to donate dollars to a crowd-funding campaign to make brand new digs right outside the inner loop possible.

On Monday, Houston-based distillery Yellow Rose Distilling started a Kickstarter crowd-funding campaign in the hopes of raising $25,000 to supplement the costs of building a larger distillery, a barrel room, bottling room and a tasting room at their new complex off North Post Oak near I-10.

The goal says Kristi Cutlip, marketing manager for the distillery, is to make the distillery just as hopping as the craft beer breweries in town ('hop' pun completely intended). Places like Karbach and Saint Arnold’s locations bust at the hinges with visitors on the weekends, and Eighth Wonder Brewery near Minute Maid Park throws block parties.

Last year Texas state regulations changed to allow Texas distilleries to sell for on-site and off-site consumption, which lead to breweries and distilleries turning into popular venues for everything from bachelor parties to baby showers.

“We want to create a sense of community here,” says Cutlip, who has donated to plenty of local crowd-funding campaigns in the past herself. This was the first she has personally helmed.

Yellow Rose’s newfangled, 10,000-square-foot distillery should be open by late August or early September.

The operation moved to Houston from Pinehurst just last summer and construction had been stalled while they gathered the correct documentation from the City of Houston to distill in the city.

They were established in 2010 and released their first batch of booze two years later.

Yellow Rose’s four varieties of whiskey -- Outlaw Bourbon, Straight Rye, Blended Whiskey and Double Barrel Bourbon -- are available at 50 locations across Houston, plus Spec’s and a handful of family-run liquor stores. Their Outlaw Bourbon has won a few tasting awards as well. They will soon have vodka in their ranks too.

There is another spirits distiller in the Houston-area, Whitmyer’s Distilling Co., which makes booze too, but they are located off Hollister and FM 1960, farther out in the suburbs.

So far the Yellow Rose Kickstarter has 15 backers with 28 days left to go in the campaign. Incentives for donating to their coffers range from social media shout-outs, free tours of the facility, a distillery class, and official Yellow Rose swag. Those that contribute $2,500 or more get special family status with the distillery.

They’re attempting to raise $25,000 but Cutlip is quick to remind that just because you might raise that much, you don’t walk away with that whole amount.

“You have to pay back Kickstarter and the credit card companies first before you get your take,” says Cutlip. Even if they don’t reach their $25,000 goal, she says that the funders that do participate will have a sense of ownership in the distillery, which is what Yellow Rose wants.